South Korean retail giant Coupang to compensate $1.1 billion to affected users over data breach
A general view shows the logo of South Korean online delivery service Coupang, at a building housing the company’s headquarters in Seoul on Dec. 9, 2025.
Jung Yeon-je | Afp | Getty Images
South Korean online retail giant Coupang said it will offer 1.69 trillion South Korean won ($1.17 billion) in compensation to 34 million users affected by a massive data breach disclosed last month.
The company said in a statement Monday local time that it planned to provide customers with purchase vouchers totaling 50,000 won for various Coupang services.
Former customers who closed their Coupang accounts following the data breach are also eligible to receive the vouchers.
Coupang said users can check their eligibility for the vouchers starting Jan. 15, according to a Google translation of the statement in Korean.
Harold Rogers, interim CEO for Coupang Corp., described the move as a “responsible measure for our customers,” and said the company would “fulfill its responsibilities to the end.”
“I once again deeply apologize to our customers,” he said in the statement.
Rogers’ apology came a day after Coupang founder Kim Bom also apologized, saying that he was “devastated” by the disappointment people have experienced.
The data breach, which was revealed on Nov. 18, led to the resignation of CEO Park Dae-jun earlier this month.
Coupang founder Kim Bom said in a separate statement that the company had failed to communicate clearly from the outset of the incident.
The U.S.-based chairman acknowledged his apology was “overdue,” explaining that he initially believed it was best to communicate publicly and apologize only after all the facts were confirmed.
“In retrospect, this was a poor judgment. While Coupang worked tirelessly to resolve the situation, I should have expressed my deepest regrets and sincere apologies from the beginning. My heart has been heavy ever since I first learned of the data breach,” Kim said.
Kim added that the company has recovered all the leaked customer information through cooperation with the government, as well as the storage devices belonging to a suspect behind the data breach.
He also said the customer information stored on the suspect’s computer was limited to 3,000 records and that it was not distributed or sold externally.
